You Haven't Hit Your Peak Yet!
Uncommon Wisdom for Unleashing Your Full Potential
1. Edition March 2020
352 Pages, Hardcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd
ISBN:
978-1-119-65860-3
John Wiley & Sons
Further versions
Advice from one of America's most respected and well-connected business leadership gurus
If you haven't reached your peak, you're not alone. But still, you're doing something right. Sound strange? Well, any businessperson worth their salt knows it takes determination to reach the finish line. The business world is constantly changing so it's essential to learn, adapt, and grow.
In all-new pieces of wisdom, common sense, and advice, Harvey Mackay shares his decades of business leadership acumen to show you how to stay relevant, fluid, and on the path for success.
* Find out how adversity can be your best friend
* Use humility in your successes to make good business partners
* Stop riding a dead horse
* Discover how recognition does wonders
Told with the sort of straight-shooting humor that only Harvey Mackay can deliver, You Haven't Hit Your Peak Yet is your personal road map for the route that can take you to the top.
Foreword xv
Acknowledgments xix
Introduction xxi
Section 1 Adversity 1
Adversity can be your best friend 3
Bouncing back from deflating times 5
The worst failure is the failure to try 8
Section 2 Attitude 11
Take charge of your attitude 13
A smile adds face value 16
Arrogance and business don't mix 18
Happiness breeds success 21
Section 3 Believe in Yourself 23
People achieve to the degree they believe in themselves 25
Give your self-confidence the boost you need 27
Humility, success make good business partners 29
Section 4 Business Basics 31
The best job lessons I ever learned 33
How not to ride a dead horse 35
Discipline is the order of the day 37
Winners set goals, losers make excuses 39
Ethics is about what is right, not who is right 41
Section 5 Coaching 43
Lessons from John Wooden: Build a pyramid of success 45
Good bosses improve good employees 47
A great work environment is an excellent motivator 49
Recognition does wonders for your sense of hearing 51
Lou Holtz coaches you all the way to #1 53
Section 6 Competition 55
Know thy competitors 57
How to beat your competition 59
Competition teaches you to outswim the sharks 61
Winners thrive on competition 63
Section 7 Creativity 67
Creativity does not require genius 69
Cultivate creativity to grow success 71
Imagination is the fuel for success 74
Section 8 Customer Service 77
Warning--Customers are perishable 79
Taking care of customers is taking care of business 81
Create a service culture 83
The art of the apology 85
Section 9 Hiring/Firing/Jobs 87
Hire a professional 89
Make a bad hire and your plans could backfire 91
Firing is like public speaking; few like to do it 93
Employee retention: A cause for reflection 95
Getting a job is a job 98
How do you get better at your job? 101
Section 10 Humor/Laughter 103
Laughter: The natural high 105
A sense of humor is no joke 107
Humor works at work 109
Section 11 Ideas/Innovation 111
Ideas without action are worthless 113
Big innovations start with little ideas 115
Spark innovation in your company 118
Section 12 Leadership 121
Attention: Leadership lessons from the Marines 123
Good leaders bring out the best in employees 126
Real leadership often defies the rules 129
Section 13 Negotiation 131
Successful negotiations start with stellar preparation 133
Negotiating 101: 50 years of experience 135
Everything's negotiable--and here's how to do it 137
Section 14 Networking 141
Dig your well before you're thirsty 143
How does your networking report card stack up? 145
Get to know the gatekeeper 148
Make friendships work at work 150
Section 15 People Skills 153
Ten Commandments for the office 155
Bad manners are bad for business 157
Maintain a civil tongue 159
2, 4, 6, 8--Who do you appreciate? 161
Harvey's short course in class 164
Who's buttering your bread? 166
The best ship to sail--friendship 168
Section 16 Persistence 171
Never too late to succeed 173
Trying times are no time to quit trying 175
Section 17 Quality/Values 177
Good enough never is 179
Do it right the first time 182
Values determine who we are 184
Section 18 Roadblocks 187
If you don't have a plan B, you don't have a plan 189
Stop procrastinating before it stops you 191
Don't let fear of success hold you back 193
Section 19 Sales and Marketing 197
Law of large numbers pays large dividends 199
What makes a good sales rep? 201
Putting the sway in persuasion 203
Sales--up close and personal 205
Knowing something about your customer is just as important as knowing your product 208
Use the Mackay Sales Scalpel to sharpen selling techniques 211
Sales is everyone's business 213
Section 20 Self-Improvement 217
Who do you want to be when you grow up? 219
Never leave well enough alone 221
Strengthen your memory 223
Experience is the name people give to their mistakes 226
Section 21 Success 229
The Seven Cs of Success 231
Success is the difference between working hard and hardly working 234
Make like a pencil and get the lead out 237
Sam Walton's rules for success 239
Become "the most likely to succeed" 241
For long-term success, give up these detrimental traits 244
Section 22 Teamwork 247
Look for these traits in successful team players 249
When we find each other, a miracle begins 251
When "go, team, go" becomes "stop, team, stop" 253
None of us is as good as all of us 255
Section 23 Time Management 257
How to keep time on your side 259
Take the time to manage your time 261
Make the call to improve phone skills 264
Section 24 Trust 267
Who packed your parachute today? 269
Whom do you trust? 271
Section 25 Vision/Visualization 275
Visualization helps you live your dreams 277
Your vision shapes your reality 279
Section 26 Watch Your Language 281
We learn more by listening than by talking 283
Wash your mouth clean of these career-killing phrases 286
Spread the word: Don't gossip 288
Section 27 Final Thoughts 291
The Other Seven Wonders of the World 293
The Second Ten Commandments 296
Things I've learned in life 298
You get what you give 300
Lifelines beat deadlines any day 302
Happy people make other people happy 304
Thoughts for a richer life 307
About the Author 311
Index 313
Acknowledgments xix
Introduction xxi
Section 1 Adversity 1
Adversity can be your best friend 3
Bouncing back from deflating times 5
The worst failure is the failure to try 8
Section 2 Attitude 11
Take charge of your attitude 13
A smile adds face value 16
Arrogance and business don't mix 18
Happiness breeds success 21
Section 3 Believe in Yourself 23
People achieve to the degree they believe in themselves 25
Give your self-confidence the boost you need 27
Humility, success make good business partners 29
Section 4 Business Basics 31
The best job lessons I ever learned 33
How not to ride a dead horse 35
Discipline is the order of the day 37
Winners set goals, losers make excuses 39
Ethics is about what is right, not who is right 41
Section 5 Coaching 43
Lessons from John Wooden: Build a pyramid of success 45
Good bosses improve good employees 47
A great work environment is an excellent motivator 49
Recognition does wonders for your sense of hearing 51
Lou Holtz coaches you all the way to #1 53
Section 6 Competition 55
Know thy competitors 57
How to beat your competition 59
Competition teaches you to outswim the sharks 61
Winners thrive on competition 63
Section 7 Creativity 67
Creativity does not require genius 69
Cultivate creativity to grow success 71
Imagination is the fuel for success 74
Section 8 Customer Service 77
Warning--Customers are perishable 79
Taking care of customers is taking care of business 81
Create a service culture 83
The art of the apology 85
Section 9 Hiring/Firing/Jobs 87
Hire a professional 89
Make a bad hire and your plans could backfire 91
Firing is like public speaking; few like to do it 93
Employee retention: A cause for reflection 95
Getting a job is a job 98
How do you get better at your job? 101
Section 10 Humor/Laughter 103
Laughter: The natural high 105
A sense of humor is no joke 107
Humor works at work 109
Section 11 Ideas/Innovation 111
Ideas without action are worthless 113
Big innovations start with little ideas 115
Spark innovation in your company 118
Section 12 Leadership 121
Attention: Leadership lessons from the Marines 123
Good leaders bring out the best in employees 126
Real leadership often defies the rules 129
Section 13 Negotiation 131
Successful negotiations start with stellar preparation 133
Negotiating 101: 50 years of experience 135
Everything's negotiable--and here's how to do it 137
Section 14 Networking 141
Dig your well before you're thirsty 143
How does your networking report card stack up? 145
Get to know the gatekeeper 148
Make friendships work at work 150
Section 15 People Skills 153
Ten Commandments for the office 155
Bad manners are bad for business 157
Maintain a civil tongue 159
2, 4, 6, 8--Who do you appreciate? 161
Harvey's short course in class 164
Who's buttering your bread? 166
The best ship to sail--friendship 168
Section 16 Persistence 171
Never too late to succeed 173
Trying times are no time to quit trying 175
Section 17 Quality/Values 177
Good enough never is 179
Do it right the first time 182
Values determine who we are 184
Section 18 Roadblocks 187
If you don't have a plan B, you don't have a plan 189
Stop procrastinating before it stops you 191
Don't let fear of success hold you back 193
Section 19 Sales and Marketing 197
Law of large numbers pays large dividends 199
What makes a good sales rep? 201
Putting the sway in persuasion 203
Sales--up close and personal 205
Knowing something about your customer is just as important as knowing your product 208
Use the Mackay Sales Scalpel to sharpen selling techniques 211
Sales is everyone's business 213
Section 20 Self-Improvement 217
Who do you want to be when you grow up? 219
Never leave well enough alone 221
Strengthen your memory 223
Experience is the name people give to their mistakes 226
Section 21 Success 229
The Seven Cs of Success 231
Success is the difference between working hard and hardly working 234
Make like a pencil and get the lead out 237
Sam Walton's rules for success 239
Become "the most likely to succeed" 241
For long-term success, give up these detrimental traits 244
Section 22 Teamwork 247
Look for these traits in successful team players 249
When we find each other, a miracle begins 251
When "go, team, go" becomes "stop, team, stop" 253
None of us is as good as all of us 255
Section 23 Time Management 257
How to keep time on your side 259
Take the time to manage your time 261
Make the call to improve phone skills 264
Section 24 Trust 267
Who packed your parachute today? 269
Whom do you trust? 271
Section 25 Vision/Visualization 275
Visualization helps you live your dreams 277
Your vision shapes your reality 279
Section 26 Watch Your Language 281
We learn more by listening than by talking 283
Wash your mouth clean of these career-killing phrases 286
Spread the word: Don't gossip 288
Section 27 Final Thoughts 291
The Other Seven Wonders of the World 293
The Second Ten Commandments 296
Things I've learned in life 298
You get what you give 300
Lifelines beat deadlines any day 302
Happy people make other people happy 304
Thoughts for a richer life 307
About the Author 311
Index 313
HARVEY MACKAY has written seven New York Times bestselling books, three reached ¯#1, and two were named by the New York Times among the top 15 inspirational business books of all time-Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive and Beware the Naked Man Who Offers You His Shirt. His books have sold 10 million copies in 80 countries and have been translated in more than 50 languages. Harvey is a nationally syndicated columnist whose weekly business advice appears in 100 newspapers and magazines around the country. He was named one of the top five speakers in the world by Toastmasters International and speaks to corporate audiences around the world. Harvey is chairman of the $100 million MackayMitchell Envelope Company in Minneapolis, which he founded in 1960.
